Series 1 Episode 4
The fourth episode of the first series of the British thriller-drama action, Utopia, was first broadcast on 5 February 2013. The episode was produced by Kudos Film and Television for Channel 4. Synopsis The group make use of a derelict manor house. Attempting to decipher the secret meaning of the manuscript, they realise that a global food manufacturer may be involved in the spreading of a new disease, and that they intend to market a cure that only works on specific genetic profiles or races. Meanwhile, Alice is on the verge of a breakdown following the death of her mother, and Ian and Becky's relationship deepens. Dugdale's attempt to blackmail The Network backfires, and he must decide if he should drop his pursuit of The Network in order to save his marriage. The group visit a man connected to The Network, intending to extract information, but the situation turns sour when Alice shoots him dead, believing him to be responsible for her mother's death. Plot Wilson is driving the van with Grant, Becky, Ian and Alice in the back. Alice screams, traumatised after the death of her mother, much to Wilson's anger, but the group can't quieten her. They pull up in a wasteland, Alice finally calming and sleeping from exhaustion, as Ian, Becky and Wilson debate over what to do with her. Wilson wants to send Alice away, which angers Becky, who says she has nowhere else to go, Ian agreeing with her. Wilson wants Ian to call Milner, but Ian insists they can only call her at the next contact time, midnight. Wilson tries to convince them not to take Alice, but Becky decides they are taking her, and Wilson can leave if he wants to. Becky contemplates the way Alice looked at the group, as if they were frightening, and concludes that they've become "scary", just like The Network. Michael Dugdale meets Christian Donaldson in the science building cafe and slips him a piece of the corpse's finger he retrieved earlier over the table. As Donaldson works on the finger, he explains he became involved when he worked as a top scientist for the Martarla Foundation and went to Hong Kong to investigate SARS. He discovered SARS didn't exist and was just a series of unconnected respiratory problems. When he filed his report, he was discredited and fired, his research destroyed. He explains that SARS was not a pandemic as it lasted seven months, affected 8,422 people and caused 916 deaths. He is unable to explain why it happened, but was then embroiled in a "sex scandal", said to be addicted to cocaine and prostitutes (which was true). He reveals that the parent company of the Martarla Foundation is Corvadt. He brings up the results of his tests on the finger and hesitates, before asking Michael to return the next day as he has "a load of tests" to do. Michael refuses to leave the finger there for a day, so Donaldson promises to have something for him for one o'clock. When Michael returns before one o'clock, unable to wait, he finds Donaldson making to leave. Donaldson lies to Michael that he found the result to be Russian flu and tries to leave, but Michael stops him, knowing he's lying and demands to know where the sample is. Donaldson refuses to give it to him and insists his bag is just full of papers. Michael tries to grab the bag but Donaldson fights back, attempting to leave. He manages to grab a fire extinguisher and attack Michael with it, but Michael throws him off onto the floor and hits him with the fire extinguisher, before snatching the document from Donaldson's hands. Michael reads it, horrified to find it was chemical poisoning that affected the finger, but Donaldson says, "You have no idea how powerful... and rich they are. Let's split it." Michael is enraged that Donaldson wants to use his findings for money, but Donaldson says he deserves it because they ruined his life. Michael, unswayed and furious, leaves with the document. Ian, Becky, Wilson, Grant and Alice arrive at an abandoned manor. Wilson discovers an iPhone in the van. At midnight, Ian calls Milner, but Milner does not pick up. Arby sits in a roadside cafe, looking over the manuscript and finding illustrations of himself as a child. It appears to distress him, perhaps giving him flashbacks. The Assistant informs Conran Letts that Arby has the manuscript but pages are missing, suggesting Jessica Hyde removed them. He also suggests Arby had Jessica in a position where he could capture her, but instead he let her go, to Letts's shock. Grant searches for a place to hide the manuscript pages and settles on the lining of a chair. Alice, possibly seeing this, awakens. Grant explains that they're in hiding and then asks if she'd like to talk about her mother, but Alice interrupts him and begins to panic about an essay she has due on Crime and Punishment, distressed that she can't finish it and hand it in. Grant comforts her by saying he has paper and then lies, saying he'll get the essay in for her. Wilson, Ian and Becky are still on rough terms. Wilson wants to leave but Becky and Ian refuse, saying it's a bad idea to carry a child across the country when she's having "a fucking breakdown". Later, Becky leaves the manor to consume some pills and is upset to discover she only has one packet of drugs left. Ian, noticing her gloominess, tells her to follow him. He brings her to a room in the manor where he's placed a table and chairs. He tells her it's a date but they couldn't go to a restaurant to he created their own. He offers her a menu of salt and vinegar crisps, Peperami, cheese and Fanta, and then tells her they have a movie later. The movie screen is just a chalk square drawn on the wall, but Ian says he'll describe the plot of Spiderman Two. Becky, although claiming it to be "shit", thanks him sincerely, close to tears. Meanwhile, Jessica stands outside and watches the two laughing through the window. Jessica later appears before Grant, asking him if he's still got the pages. Grant embraces her, and Jessica reluctantly hugs him back, but makes him confirm he hasn't told anyone about the pages and that he won't. She promises to "keep an eye" on him and that she'll "be around". When Grant, disappointed, asks if she's leaving, she simply tells him to keep his eyeliner on or he'll die. As Grant goes to take the pages from the chair, Wilson approaches him, asking if he knows the name of Mr Rabbit. Grant assures him it just began with an L. Wilson looks at the chair and asks him what he's hiding and, reluctantly, Grant produces a sketchbook he was using to draw images from the manuscript, avoiding the reveal of the real pages. Alice and Grant work on Alice's essay. Alice begins to go into another breakdown as she can't recall the name of one of the Crime and Punishment characters, Alyona Ivanovna, but after screeching, "I need the book!" and ignoring Grant's attempts to comfort her, she finally remembers the name and calms down. Grant gets her more paper from his sketchbook, which Wilson is studying. Ian and Becky grow closer as they discuss their personal lives. The conversation grows more intimate as Ian admits that theres a "corner of his soul that feels like it's coming alive" because of Becky. Becky then has a tremor in her limbs, supposedly from ''Deel's syndrome'', and lets out a string of curses as Ian, unsure as to why she's panicking so much, fetches the cup from the floor. The two then lean in to kiss, but Wilson bursts in with the sketchbook. He recalls when the scientist in The Utopia Experiments put a ghost cell into a buffalo which killed it. The buffalo was then fed to a man, who rotted as a result of it. He shows a number of drawings of a god with two faces which is put into the ghost cell, showing the god to be Janus from Roman mythology, and that they get Janus into people via the food chain. He suggests that Philip Carvel was a Nazi and is using a disease to target certain races. Becky suggests that it is actually a cure to Russian flu with Janus in it, as someone catches the flu by ingesting it. She suggests Corvadt is making a vaccine that's only effective on certain races and since the outbreak in Fetlar people will be clamouring to be vaccinated. Ian argues that a lot of food would be needed but Wilson points out the logo for Pergus Holdings, a large food manufacturer, that is everywhere in the drawings. Ian leaves early in the morning, leaving a note for the sleeping Wilson and Becky. Outside, he is surprised to find Jessica. Apparently jealous, Jessica speaks of Ian and Becky's date and asks them if they're an item, but Ian ignores her jabs as he asks her where she's been. Jessica does not reply and instead demands that Ian takes out the phone Milner gave him and calls Milner. When Ian refuses, irritated, Jessica points a gun at his head and so, reluctantly, Ian phones Milner. Ian informs her that the call went to voicemail, so Jessica makes him leave a message saying he's with Jessica Hyde. Ian, angry yet afraid, tells her Jessica's just killed her if Milner's phone's being traced. Jessica insults him, saying he thinks "so small" and "so... IT", before putting the gun against his head and kissing him on the lips. Frightened and confused, Ian does nothing as Jessica leaves. Becky wakes up and finds Ian's note, which reads, Gone to get supplies. Wilson then asks her if he shows her something she will promise not to get angry, and Becky promises. Wilson retrieves the iPhone he discovered earlier, reassuring her that he switched it off. He informs her he can disguise their location and they can research Pergus Holdings, so Becky agrees to walk outside with him. On their walk, Becky mentions that Alice has completely broken down. She tells Wilson to check they're alone and once Wilson leaves, she makes a phone call. She tells the reciever they lost the manuscript, arguing with them and asking them, "Are they infecting people?". Frustrated, she arranges a meeting the following day, saying that she's in trouble. When Wilson returns, he and Becky find a spot by a lake and research Pergus Holdings. They discover it was a small-time company until 1993 when they bought subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and South America. This was a result of the new CEO of Pergus Holdings, Lane Monroe, which Wilson suggests could be Mr Rabbit as his name begins with an L and decides to find his address. He then attempts to research his father to see how he's doing, but Becky, trying to stop him from discovering his father's dead, tosses the phone into the lake, saying "it's too risky". Michael approaches Geoff at his desk and admits to lying about keeping a piece of the finger, discovering that its owner, Fetlar resident Kevin Baig, was listed dead from Russian flu before being poisoned by chromic potassium sulphate. He then asks for Anya to be released from prison (as she has been framed for the murder of William Kaye), implying he will release the information as he has a number of lawyers with sealed copies who will send it to press if he doesn't phone in every two hours. Geoff tries to persuade him to step down, telling him he can destroy his life, but Michael ignores him, repeating his demand to release Anya. Geoff refuses, saying they need collateral so they won't release her and that he is surprised Michael is trying to negotiate. He decides that he can't hurt Michael physically because of his lawyers and so he brings up CCTV footage of Michael's wife, Jen, sitting in a cafe. Michael, enraged and terrified, tells Geoff, who begins to make a call, that if Jen is hurt then he will have nothing to lose. Unconcerned, Geoff tells a man called Alexi to wave and he is revealed to be sitting across from Jen. He informs Michael that Alexi has a folder full of photos and a DVD of Michael and Anya having sex along with a scan of Anya's baby. Geoff tells a distraught Michael to hand over all his documents and evidence my 8:00PM or he will order Alexi to hand the folder to Jen. Ian, disguised with a hat and coat around his legs and his glasses removed, watches as his brother leaves his office building. He follows his brother into a pub garden after removing the hat and putting the coat on, covering his face with its hood. He goes to seat himself besides his brother, but a man sits by his side and so Ian pauses next to a dustbin. He pretends to be digging through the trash as he watches a woman pushing a pram and a man in a suit, paranoid that they are Network moles. A man drops a phone into the dustbin as Ian rummages through the contents and it begins to ring. Ian answers to Milner, who asks if anyone has seen him. Milner informs him she's sending a distraction and he should leave immediately. Suddenly, a hooded man steals a woman's purse and everyone's attention is turned to the scene as Ian makes his escape. He runs into a car park to find Milner exiting her car and apologies before she strikes him across the face, furious. She tells him he was picked up three times on facial recognition and that if she hadn't intercepted it, he and his brother would be dead. Milner ignores Ian's apologies as she tells him she will be put at risk as she has had her team on him all morning. She knows he lost the manuscript and tells him they need to track it down since it contains whatever Janus does or is in its pages as Carvel wrote it before he died. Conran Letts approaches The Assistant, who holds the manuscript. Arby materialises and holds a gun to Letts's head, telling him he read it and there was a boy in it - himself - who was tortured and had only one comfort, chocolate raisins, and that Letts lied. Letts tells him that boy is long gone and that they took everything from him, including his name, which Letts reveals to be R.B., not Arby, meaning 'Raisin Boy'. Arby asks Letts, "Where is Jessica Hyde?" and clutches his face, so The Assistant hands Arby Jessica's location. Arby then threatens to murder anyone else he sees when he arrives at the location. When he asks for his name, Letts admits that his real name is Pietre. Milner informs Ian that Lane Monroe ran secret nerve agent research for the CIA before he became the CEO of Pergus Holdings and that she thinks he is a member of The Network. Milner thinks that out of all the parties searching for the manuscript, Jessica will be the one to find it. When Ian asks why she thinks Jessica will return to the group, Milner says she has nowhere else to go. Ian returns home where Alice has finished her essay which seems to be of some comfort to her. Wilson saws off the barrels of his shotgun as he tells Ian he found Lane Monroe's address and that they ought to go there. Becky disagrees, but Wilson wants to see if Monroe has the rabbit kanji carved into his stomach to determine whether or not he's Mr Rabbit. Ian agrees with Wilson, sick of waiting to be saved. Outside the van, Becky argues with Ian about Jessica, asking him if he enjoyed Jessica's kiss, infuriating Ian. Alice introduces herself to Becky, reserved but polite, offering her a handshake. Wilson gets into the van, taking his sawn-off shotgun with him. As the van drives away, Arby appears, watching them as he eats chocolate raisins. Suddenly, the click of a gun can be heard and Jessica is revealed to be pointing her gun against the back of his head, telling him that he will take her to the manuscript. Arby simply smiles and says, "Of course. That's why I'm here". When Michael returns home late in the evening, he can hear the sounds of moaning coming from the living room. He gingerly enters to find the television playing a tape of him and Anya having sex as Jen watches, speechless. Numerous photos and papers, including the baby scan, can be seen on the coffee table. She turns to face Michael, her eyes red with tears and mouth hanging open. The Assistant hands Conran Letts the latest batch of vaccine. He informs him a car is waiting for him downstairs to take him to a laboratory so Letts can do the testing. Wilson tells Ian, who is sitting by his side in the van, that one of them will enter Monroe's apartment's garage, break into Monroe's apartment and force Monroe to buzz the rest of the group up. They agree that Wilson will do it as he looks the most frightening. When Alice asks Grant where they're going, Grant replies, "Up there, to see the prick that did this to us". Alice looks into the distance, looking determined. As a car enters the garage, Wilson sneaks in after it. Wilson, having broken into Monroe's apartment, presses the shotgun against the back of an unsuspecting Monroe's head, who is watching television. He asks Wilson if it's money he wants, but Wilson tells him to get up. Monroe complies, raising his hands as Wilson points the gun at him. He orders Monroe to open the garage door since his "friends want to talk" to him. Monroe, mistaking Wilson for a Network member, begs him to listen, insisting he's done everything he was asked. Wilson forces Monroe to buzz the rest of the group inside. Monroe continues to insist his loyalty, and Wilson, in attempt to extract more information, tells Monroe he hasn't, so Monroe insists he made sure the GCHN1 protein was everywhere. When Wilson opens the door, Monroe is confused to find Becky, Ian, Grant and Alice, saying, "You're not them," but Wilson simply says, "Surprise" and he and Ian force him onto a chair. Becky moves Grant and Alice to another room, telling them not to leave no matter what they hear. Ian lifts up Monroe's shirt but finds it does not have the rabbit kanji. Grant listens to the gtroup discussing Monroe's knowledge through the wall as Alice worries of her essay being late. Grant admits that her essay won't be handed in and then attempts to bring up the subject of Alice's mother. Alice asks if Monroe killed her. Wilson asks Monroe what the GCHN1 protein is, but when Monroe fails to answer, saying he did what he was told, Wilson presses the shotgun against Monroe's face, and when Monroe simply whimpers, Wilson hits him with the gun, much to Ian and Becky's horror. Monroe says that it was a protein they bred into foodstuffs, a modification of corn. He says that they bred corn with a softer husk so it could be broken down and used in animal feeds, resulting in many people wanting it. When Ian asks what the protein does, Monroe says that it just contained a harmless amino acid that helped, but was not necessary, to the softening process. Ian is sceptical, wondering why so much effort was put into an amino acid that did nothing, but Monroe simply says that he was a "cog" and did what he was told. Ian asks who Mr Rabbit is, but Monroe does not know. Becky asks what Monroe knows about Janus, and since he knows the name Janus, then he mustn't just be a "cog". Wilson, meanwhile, has discovered a newspaper article regarding his father's death. Wilson begins to have a breakdown and points the gun at Monroe as Becky and Ian desperately shout at him to stop. In tears, Wilson screams at Becky for lying to him and then turns the gun on Ian, asking him if he knew about his father's death. Wilson points the gun around the room, unable to cope, telling them that they're supposed to be his friends as they insist they are and Monroe looks puzzled and afraid. After taking out some of his anger on Becky and Ian, he turns the gun back to Monroe, saying, "They killed him". Before Wilson can shoot, the intercom buzzes and monroe explains the concierge, who knows he's there, will come up if he doesn't answer. Wilson prepares to shoot him, but Ian and Becky manage to talk him out of it. Ian drags Monroe to the intercom and instructs him to get rid off whoever is buzzing, handing him the phone. However, Monroe says, "Send them up". Becky takes the gun and sends Monroe into Grant and Alice's room as Ian grabs a kitchen knife. Becky hands the shotgun to Grant, informing him to shoot Monroe's knees off if he moves, much to Grant's delight. Conran Letts knocks at the door and Grant gives the gun to Alice so he can see what's going on. Alice glares at Monroe as she points the gun towards his stomach. Letts continues to knock, demanding Monroe opens the door. Without warning, Alice shoots Monroe in the stomach, killing him. Ian opens the door and holds the knife against Letts's neck as Becky rushes to Alice. She takes the gun from Alice, who says, coldly, "He killed my mum, Becky." The group leave with Letts, leaving Monroe's corpse. Cast * Wilson Wilson - Adeel Akhtar * The Assistant - James Fox * Michael Dugdale - Paul Higgins * Milner - Geraldine James * Alice Ward - Emilia Jones * Arby - Neil Maskell * Christian Donaldson - Simon McBurney * Jessica Hyde - Fiona O'Shaughnessy * Geoff - Alistair Petrie * Conran Letts - Stephen Rea * Becky - Alexandra Roach * Ian Johnson - Nathan Stewart-Jarrett * Grant - Oliver Woollford * Jen - Ruth Gemmell * Anya - Anna Madeley * Roy Johnson - Paapa Essiedu * Lane Monroe - Mitchell Mullen Music * "Mind Vortex" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Conspiracy Part 1" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "The Network" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Where Is Jessica Hyde? Part 1" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Jessica Gets Off" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Utopia Descent" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Conspiracy Part 2" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Dislocated Thumbs Part 1" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "A New Brand Of Drug" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer * "Dislocated Thumbs Part 2" - Cristobal Tapia De Veer Category:Utopia (Channel 4)